The Migration Partnership Facility (MPF), programme financed by the European Commission Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME), launches three new Calls for Proposals, opening new funding opportunities for cooperation between European Union Member States and priority partner countries in three areas of migration management.

Three dedicated Calls are now open: Migration Partnerships, funded through the EU Asylum, Migration, and Integration Fund (AMIF); Border Management, funded through the Border Management and Visa Instrument (BMVI);  Internal Security, funded through the Internal Security Fund (ISF).

Together, they reflect the breadth of MPF’s mandate: from migration governance, asylum and protection, return, readmission and reintegration to integrated border management, visa cooperation, fight against smuggling of migrants and trafficking in human beings, as well as against transnational organised crime. Support for legal migration and labour mobility will be tackled by a separate Call for Proposals later in the year. As Vera Cerbara, Grants Portfolio Manager for MPF, noted, “With these new Calls for Proposals, we aim to bolster all that MPF stands for: supportive and engaged migration partnerships for the benefit of both EU Member States and priority partner countries”.

What is new in the three 2026 Calls for Proposals?

The 2026 Calls make priorities more explicit. First, there is a clear distinction between Migration Partnerships, Border Management and Internal Security, allowing applicants to better align proposals with AMIF, BMVI or ISF objectives. This structure supports clearer thematic focus while maintaining MPF’s overall role as a flexible Facility for cooperation with partner countries.

Second, the 2026 Calls place stronger emphasis on a Human Rights-Based Approach. Projects are expected to integrate human rights standards and principles throughout grant management, guided by working principles such as human rights for all, inclusive participation, non-discrimination, accountability, rule of law, transparency and access to information.

Third, the Calls highlight the importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships, participatory needs assessments and co-designed interventions. Applicants are encouraged to involve EU Delegations in partner countries and relevant EU agencies (e.g. FRONTEX, Europol, Eurojust, CEPOL); national counterparts and, where relevant, regional partners from the earliest stages. 

Common features across the 2026 Calls

All three Calls are without a deadline, meaning that Concept Notes may be submitted at any time until funds are depleted or the Calls are closed. The application process consists of two steps: first, submission of a Concept Note; and, if positively assessed, submission of a Full Application. All awarded actions must complete implementation by 30 June 2031.

In terms of funding, across the three Calls, the minimum grant amount is EUR 200,000, with no fixed maximum amount. Through AMIF, BMVI and ISF funding, MPF may finance up to 95% of the total eligible cost of an action, with the balance covered from other sources.

Given the intended support to the external dimension of EU migration policy, all proposals must involve at least one eligible European country and at least one partner country from the geographic regions defined in the Calls: the EU Southern Neighbourhood, Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, and South and West Asia.

Three Calls, one Facility approach

The 2026 Migration Partnerships Call has an allocation of six million euros from AMIF to support EU migration priorities with partner countries.

• Examples of eligible activities include improving partner countries’ policy and legal frameworks for migration and mobility; information, outreach and protection of migrants; review and development of legislation, policies, action plans, etc. linked to migration management; capacity-building in legal migration management; strengthening of policy and legal frameworks and capacity-building on asylum policy and protection.
• Examples of projects under this thematic area include COOP4INT, Migration Management Diploma Programme and CASTLE I.

The 2026 Border Management Call has an allocation of five million euros from BMVI to strengthen the management and control of the EU’s external borders, thereby contributing to the Union’s internal security.

• Eligible activities include improving border controls, strengthening identity and travel document security in non-EU countries, supporting dialogue on visa issues with non-EU countries and their consular capacities, reviewing and developing legislation and policy tools, investing in large-scale IT systems related to integrated border management and common visa policy, and supporting infrastructure, equipment, training, expert exchanges, innovative methods and studies.
• Past examples of projects under this thematic area include Visa Capacity Building in Bosnia-Herzegovina (VCBB) and Prometheus II.  

The 2026 Internal Security Call has an allocation of three million euros from ISF to improve the European Union’s internal security by supporting actions to tackle irregular migration and migrant smuggling, combat trafficking in human beings, and bolster capacities to prevent and respond to migration-related crises. 

• Eligible activities include support to thematic or cross-theme networks, cross-border cooperation and joint operations, capacity-building for law enforcement and competent authorities, and procurement of equipment and ICT systems where these are linked to the Call’s objectives.
• Past examples of projects under this thematic area include Innovative Approaches to Migration-related Organized Crime (IAMROC), Migration Intelligence Services Partnership to foster Euro‐ Africa Cooperation (MISPEAC) and Common Operational Partnership (COP) France-Italy-Nigeria.

When reflecting upon the significance of these new Calls for Proposals, Jennifer Tangney, Senior Programme Coordinator for the MPF, stated “The entry into force of the Pact on Migration marks a seminal moment in the EU’s migration management trajectory.  These new Calls are intended to give a practical expression to the Pact’s objectives for the external dimension through cooperative approaches with priority countries outside the EU.  By combining flexible grant funding with an emphasis on partnership and complementarity, the new Calls provide a structured opportunity for applicants to develop proposals that respond to shared migration priorities.”

Interested parties can review all documentation related to the 2026 Calls for Proposals in our dedicated webpage and source inspiration from MPF's broad portfolio in the MPF Projects webpage.